Jointed lumber



J. K. GRUNER JOINTED LUMBER Sept. 15, 1931.

Filed Feb. '12, 1930 bvvezvroe:

JAY z GEUA/ER.

Patented Sept. 15, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JAY K. GRUNER, OFST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO J. K. GRUNER LUMBER GOM- PANY, OF ST.LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OF MISSOURI JOINTED LUMBER Applicationfiled February 12, 1930. Serial No. 427,759.

My invention relates to improvements in jointed lumber, and has for itsprimary object a construction of finished lumber which is provided alongits longitudinal edges with a combination of ship lap and tongue andgroove joints.

A further object is to construct jointed lumber in which the oints areso arranged as to give a caulking space thus maklng the jointsweather-tight. My improved lumber has many advantages over the ordinaryjoints now employed as it gives a positive lock joint, or joints whichare interlocklng and which can be made at the same cost as the ordinarytongue and groove joint or sh1p lap. The joints are so arranged that theedges of adjacent boards having these joints Wlll interlock and supporteach other thereby preventing separation of the joints unduly in theevent of shrinkage. The peculiar type of joint will also prevent bulgingdue to expansion because if one board bulges the adjacent board willhave a tendency to prevent such bulging due to the interlocking of thejoints.

My improved lumber can be used for flooring, siding, ceiling, roofing,and various other purposes where jointed lumber is to be used.

When used for flooring, especially hardwood flooring, end matching ortonguing and grooving the ends of the lumber is unnecessary on accountof the interlocking feature of the side joints. Then, again,considerable cost in laying floors can be saved for the reason that itis not necessary that the ends of the boards be supported by the joists.

Vith ordinary tongue and groove lumber this is necessary if a squeaklessfloor is desired because unless the boards are end matched, if one edgeof the board projects any distance beyond a joist, there is always apossibility of breaking either the tongue or the lower edge of thegroove and consequently when any weight is placed on the board, the endwill sink, and in returning or springing back will cause a squeak. Thisis especially annoying in homes where a rocking chair happens to passover a loose board causing a continual squeak every time the rockerpasses over the board.

My lumber is also especially adaptable for siding in freight carsbecause my joints will have a sort of car coupler action and distributestrains to all of the boards or joints thus relieving any one particularjoint of undue strain. These strains are causedby the swaying of a carwhile in motion and also to the sudden jars imparted to the cars whenstarting, stopping,-or coupling cars together, and the interlockingfeature of the joints will also make a more rigid job.

Then, again, by reason of the interlocking joints of the edges, anyboards, which may have warped longitudinally, can be readilystraightened out and held in position by the interlocking joints whereasin the present type 65 of lumber, that is tongue and groove or ship lap,this bowing must be straightened out and held by nails, the nails beingthe sole straightening element. Of course, I do not intend to lay theboards without the use 70 of nailsor similar fastening devices, but inthe case of a bowed board, as before stated, all of the strain inholding the board straight is not borne by the fastening devices butalso distributed to the tongue. So, therefore, I have a double holdingmeans for such boards.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a fragmental perspective view of two boards showing the jointsinterlocked and with caulking in the oint;

Fig. 2 is a similar view with the caulking omitted; and

Fig. 3 is a fragmental top plan view showing the manner of laying theboards either in flooring, siding, etc.

In the construction of my device I employ a board 4 having parallelfaces 5 and 6. The face 6 has an outwardly projecting portion 7 whichterminates in a vertical edge 8. The projecting portion 7 is provided onits upper 90 end with a tongue 9 and between the tongue 9 and the edge10, which extends downward from the face 5, is a groove 11. The face 5of the board is provided with an outwardly extending portion 12, whichhas a vertical edge 13. This vertical edge is provided with 'a tongue14. The face 6 is provided with a vertical edge 15 and between thetongue 14 and the vertical edge 15 is a groove 16.

It will be noted from'the foregoing description and by the disclosure inFigs. 1 and 2 that the extending portions 12 and 7 are formed onopposite longitudinal edges of each board and that the tongues andgrooves are opposed to each other. In other words, the tongues projectin opposite directions, the one projecting upward, the other downward.This permits the adjacent edges of the boards to interlock.

It will also be noted from Figs. 1 and 2 that the tongues 9 and 14 areof less width than the grooves 11 and 16 so that a space 17 is leftbetween opposing faces of the tongues 9 and 14. This space may be leftunoccupied as in Fig. 2 thus permitting shrinkage of the lumber, or itmay be filled with caulking material 18 where weather-tight joints areto be. made.

This makes the lumber especially adaptable for refrigerator cars,refrigerators, and other structures, which are to be rendered as nearlyair-tight as possible.

In Fig. 3, 19 represents a joist, studding or rafter showing a pluralityof boards located thereon. It will be noted from these drawings that thesecond set of boards from the left have their ends resting on the rafterwhile the remaining boards have their ends projecting beyond. \Vhen laidin this way, the tongue 9 and groove 11 of one board will support thetongue and groove 1-1 and 16 of the edge of an adjacent board. The oneboard will prevent the downward movement of the adjacent board whilethis adjacent board will prevent the upward movement of the board, whichprevents its downward movement. Therefore a perfectly rigivdhfloor orside can be readily made.

ile I .have shown the tongues and grooves as being rounded, it is to beunderstood, of course, that they can be made in any desired shape eitherrectangular, tapered, or triangular without departing from the spirit ofmy invention, the essential feature being that the edges of the boardare provided with a combined ship lap and tongue and groove extending inopposite direct-ions along opposite edges of the board so that the samewill be readily reversible and interchangeable.

I have also found by my construction that when it is necessary toreplace a defective board, the defective board can be removed and byloosening two or three boards on either side and springing them outwardfrom their supports a new perfect board can be readily snapped in place.This necessitates the removal of only one board, which is impossible todo with the ordinary tongue and groove lumber.

It will be noted from the drawings and foregoing description that I haveevolved lumber finished on four sides provided along its edges with shiplap joints and also with tongue and groove joints, the tongue and groovejoints extending in opposite directions from the face of the ship lap.In other words, my improved lumber may be termed lumber provided with acombined ship lap and tongue and groove joint.

I have also discovered that by the use of my particular joint, andespecially by its interlocking feature, that the lumber or boards whenassembled, that is the joints placed within each other, will beself-supporting to a great degree. This is not possible with either theplain ordinary ship lap joint, nor is. it possible with tongue andgroove joints because there is no interlocking feature present in eitherof the twolast mentioned joints as is present in my construction becausein the ordinary tongue and groove, the tongues are parallel to the faceof the material instead of at right angles to it as in my construction.The same is true of the grooves.

The important feature of my peculiar joint is that the tongues andgrooves, that is especially the axes thereof are at -right angles to thefaces of the boards and not parallel thereto as in ordinary tongue andgroove lumber. In other words, by my peculiar construction of joints Iform What may be virtually termed hooks along opposite edges of theboards, the hooks extending in opposite directions so that one boardwill hook into the other causing an interlocking feature and supportingfeature, which will make the joints practically self-sustaining.

Broadly describing my joint, it may be termed a double ship lap joint,that is a board having a ship lap joint along each edge, the inner faceof which is provided with an upstanding projection along itslongitudinal edge, that is the projection is formed along the outer edgeof the ship lap joint thus making two projections along opposite edgesof the board, which extend in opposite directions and at right angles tothe faces of the board.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim is Jointed lumbercomprising boards selectively reversible along their longitudinal axes,each having a hook substantially L- shaped in transverse cross-sectionextending in mutually opposite directions at the opposite side edges ofsaid boards to form a tongue and an immediately adjacent groove at eachof said side edges, said tongues being signature.

JAY K. GRUNER.

